Boris Johnson has said BBC broadcaster Eddie Mair had done a "splendid job" during a tense interview in which he was grilled over his "integrity".

In the interview with Mr Mair on The Andrew Marr Show yesterday, a clearly uncomfortable Mr Johnson was forced to deny being a "nasty piece of work" and refused to discuss allegations about his private life.

Speaking today, Mr Johnson said the BBC was responsible for "holding us to account".

"I fully concede it wasn't my most blistering performance, but that was basically because I was set to talk about the Olympics and housing in London and he wanted to talk about other things, some of them - my private life and so on - of quite some antiquity, the details of which I wasn't brilliant on," he said.

"He was perfectly within his rights to have a bash at me - in fact it would have been shocking if he hadn't. If a BBC presenter can't attack a nasty Tory politician what's the world coming to?"

Asked whether Mr Mair should get Jeremy Paxman's lead anchor role on Newsnight, he added: "I should think he'll get an Oscar, it was an Oscar-winning performance. I think he'll get a Pullitzer."

The mayor's comments come after his father, Stanley Johnson, launched a robust attack on the BBC over the "bike-crash" interview.

He said he "felt great anger" towards Mr Mair, who was standing in as presenter on the Andrew Marr Show, and claimed his son had been abused.

"I thought Eddie Mair's interview was about the most disgusting piece of journalism I've listened to for a very long time," he told Nick Ferrari on LBC 97.3.

"The BBC sank about as low as it could. If grilling people about their private lives, accusing them of guilt by association and openly abusing them is a legitimate interview, then frankly, I don't know where we are coming."

During the broadcast the mayor was pressed over whether he lied to Tory leader Michael Howard about allegations of an affair in 2004 - which resulted in his resignation as shadow arts minister - as well as claims that he was sacked from The Times more than two decades ago for making up a quote.

Mr Mair also raised a 1990 telephone conversation Mr Johnson had with one of his friends who was demanding the private address of a News of the World journalist. A recording of the call suggested Mr Johnson had agreed to supply the details, even though his friend indicated he wanted to have the reporter beaten up for smearing his family.

Mr Johnson stressed that "nothing eventuated" from the conversation, adding: "I think if any of us had our phone conversations bugged people say all sorts of fantastical things whilst talking to their friends."

Mr Mair said: "You are a nasty bit of work, aren't you?"

"All three things I would dispute... if we had a longer time I could explain that I think all three interpretations you are putting on these things are not wholly fair," an exasperated Mr Johnson replied.

Stanley Johnson said his son had been told the interview would focus on issues which affect London.

He added: "l I felt great anger at this man. I have no idea who Eddie Mair is or what he does, but, frankly, as I said a moment ago, there is such a thing as respecting the office, even if you don't respect the man, and that did not come through."

The row comes ahead of a documentary on the mayor's life and career. Boris Johnson: The Irresistible Rise, airs tonight at 9pm.